Bite
by splintered
Summary: It was the bite. It just had to be...and three days later, Taichi lay in bed with fever. What does Yamato have to do with this? A modern Romeo and Juliet story with a supernatural twist.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: It was the bite. It just had to be...and three days later, Taichi lay in bed with fever. What does Yamato have to do with this? A modern Romeo and Juliet story with a supernatural twist.

Disclaimer: Do not own _Digimon _or any of its characters.

* * *

**Bite**

By: splintered

--

It was the bite. It just had to be...and three days later, Taichi Yagami lay in bed with an unbreakable fever.

"Hikari..." the figure wrapped in sheets moaned. Bundled up like that, he could have been mistaken for a mummy...well, perhaps not, with that coloring of his...coloring that proved that he was still very much alive, even if he was currently suffering from a dangerously high fever. His cheeks were flushed with color (and could be mistaken for a blush under other circumstances). His wild hair was more unkempt than usual as he was sprawled against his bed. "Death bed," he had joked.

Whereas his little sister vehemently responded, "You're not dying!"

"Well, I might as well be. I feel like crap," he admitted. And he looked like crap as well. His usual tan was gone, even if he was a little red in the face. The rest of him blended in well with the off-white sheets.

_He's so pale, _Kari had thought as she studied her brother. For a moment, she almost believed that he was dying. He was losing energy by the minute as his fever climbed. Whereas he could joke before, now he could only whimper.

"Hika...Kari..." She had to lean in to hear him, even if he was only calling her name. "...I don't feel...don't feel so good," the brunette whimpered as she combed her hand through his thick mop of hair.

_He's so weak, _she couldn't bear thinking. She had always admired her brother for his strength that watching her brother in such a state...it was like watching a parent cry. Her heart clenched in pain as she felt for him...knowing that she could do nothing for him except whisper soothing words of comfort when wishing that he would do the same for her. "Shush, I know..." she said as she ran her hand through his hair again.

"I know..." She paused as he thrashed about, kicking the covers off yet again. This time, she chose to adopt a loving scowl as she reprimanded him. "Tai, what as I going to do with you?" She puckered her brow as she reached for the thermometer and inserted it into his mouth.

"You have to keep warm...You have to break that--" _Fever. S_he gasped as the numbers continued to climb. 108. 109. And finally, that tinny mechanical beeping revealed... 109.86°F. Was that even humanly possible? She knew that the normal body temperature was 98.6°F. _Such a difference..._

"...Kari...don't...feel...don't feel good," he mumbled, probably delirious as he was doing so. With that, Taichi Yagami passed out, never hearing his sister's desperately whispered words.

"Tai, you have to break that fever...I don't know what I'd do without you...for me, big brother?" She grasped his sweaty palm with both of her hands. _What would I do without you? _She shuddered at the thought. Ever since her parents died...No, she preferred not to think about it. "...please, big brother...you're all that I have."

She then did the only thing she knew to do. She picked up the phone and called--

_TBC?_

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

Who did Hikari call? What's with her brother's condition? I'll leave that up to the reviewers. Any guesses? I'm so evil, aren't I? Well, reviews sure helps with updates and I do enjoy hearing from you... Thank you for reading my new fic. XD


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: It was the bite. It just had to be...and three days later, Taichi lay in bed with fever. What does Yamato have to do with this? A modern Romeo and Juliet story with a supernatural twist.

Disclaimer: Do not own _Digimon _or any of its characters.

* * *

**Bite**

By: splintered

----

"Yamato."

"Yeah?" The blond slowly raised his head, absently running his hand through his long silky hair. "That's my name. Don't overuse it." He glanced up and surveyed his surroundings— many human bodies pressed together under the bright flashy strobe lights and loud rhythmic music (if they could even call this shit music) of the club—looking everywhere but at the figure who called his name. "Dancing," they called this sport. But this was anything but the dancing...the way the bodies were pressed together...the way their hips moved and the bodies leaned in for more contact...the way...Yamato shook his head. It was almost as if they were....

"Yamato!" the girl called his name again—louder this time—as if she was completing for his attention. Not that she needed to. Be louder, that is. She knew that he could hear her. He heard her perfectly well the first time. Yamato sighed as blue eyes reluctantly landed on the gorgeous tall redhead before him.

She wore a short low-cut red dress, and while it may have looked inappropriate on some—the hem of the fabric only covered mid-thigh and the open back revealed white translucent skin—it looked just right on her. But then again, red had always been her color, Yamato mused as he studied her. She looked taller than the last time he had seen her, but that may have been because of the dress, showing off her long pale legs. Or perhaps it was because of the heels. Her long red hair was straightened and also looked a lot longer than it was the last time he had seen her. It almost reached past her elbows whereas she used to style her hair in a short bob. "Hey, Sor," he spoke softly and, he hoped, casually. He so didn't want to see her—especially not now, when he was working.

"You call this working," she replied as if she could read his thoughts. But then again, she could always do that. Read his thoughts, that is. "Sitting all night in the dark corner behind the counter, watching under-aged girls get drunk."

"Hey," he defended, "at least I work. That's more than you do."

"Sure," the redhead—Sora—smiled, licking her cherry red lips. Her white teeth gleamed in the dark club. "Work, he says."

Yamato shook his head again, his long fringe covering his eyes. His hand swept through his blond hair once again, temporarily keeping his temper in check, and skillfully changing the subject. "What do you want, Sora?"

"Hmm..." the woman paused, as if she was thinking. "Give me a Bloody Mary."

"Blood, she wants," the blond muttered under his breath, feeling her green eyes stare at him as he carefully assembled the cocktail. "What? Is the hunt getting too much for you?"

"I was told to never play with my food," the woman replied innocently enough.

"That never stopped you before."

"Aw, Yamato, I've changed."

He looked at her disbelievingly. Sure, her hair was longer. Sure, she appeared taller. But as far as he could tell, it was the same old Sora. "I can see that," he said sarcastically, setting the drink by her side. She reached for in her purse—a small crocodile bag.

"Oh, I almost forgot," she started, throwing a five dollar bill on the table. "You left this." She held a small metallic phone in her hand.

The blonde's eyes narrowed. "Where did you get that?"

"This?" she casually waved the phone at his face. "You left this at Mimi's. The phone rang. I pick it up..." she paused, letting the news sink in. When the blonde didn't react, the redhead started again. "You know, the girl on the other end sounded awfully young. Are you playing with _your_ food, Yamato?" She dangled the phone in his face.

"Shut up, Sor," the blond snarled, grabbing for the phone. _Girl? What girl was she talking about? _Yamato didn't remember giving his phone number to any _girls. _And he had a pretty good memory.

Sora just laughed as the loud rhythmic music (if you could even call the shit music) played in the background.

TBC?

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**Author's Note:** I'm not sure why I included this whole exchange with Sora. Originally, she wasn't even in the fic. And Yamato was talking to his band in a similar type of setting....I'm not quite sure what happened, because as you can see, that's not quite what happened. Now, he seems to be playing bartender with Sora. Huh. It's a wonder how these things work out when you decide to sit on stories for a while and not write them. Although...the next chapter should have more Taichi...that is, if my muse doesn't want to change my originally plans again. Please review and tell me what you think. Perhaps I'll update sooner next time. XD As far as reviews go, thank you's to everyone who reviewed.

**AngelSachiya: **Well, that's what I planned, unless that changes in the process of writing the story. I'm glad you liked the story so far. I'm sorry I took so long to update. ^_^; Yes, poor Taichi! Hopefully, Taichi will appear more in the next chapter.

**Crazy PurpleSage**: Angel, huh? I don't think I saw that episode...I used to watch Buffy a lot though. *likes Spike* Anyways, close, but not quite. But the cell phone was Yamato's so....Am I really that predictable? I updated! *checks the time stamp and cringes* Sorry I took so long though...More will be explained in the upcoming chapters (if I eventually get that far).

**syp230:** I'm glad you like my stories! :) I updated!

**DanniHavok: **Well...here's more...Thanks!

**blazing-fire-phoenix:** Here's an update...although I'm not quite sure if this is what you expected (as it probably doesn't answer any questions), but hopefully it's good. As for the timeliness of the updating...that I utterly failed at.

P.S. Thank you for reading and have a Happy New Year!!! And I really hope you drop by with reviews (or critiques). ;)

--splintered


	3. Chapter 3

Summary: It was the bite. It just had to be...and three days later, Taichi lay in bed with fever. What does Yamato have to do with this? A modern Romeo and Juliet story with a supernatural twist.

Disclaimer: Do not own _Digimon _or any of its characters.

**Bite**

By: splintered

---

He had gotten bitten once before, but that was a very long time ago—even before Hikari was born...and it was definitely before his parents died in the accident. "Don't go near stray dogs," his mother had warned him. Of course, little Taichi didn't listened. Mommy never told him _why_ he shouldn't go near the stray doggie—especially when the doggie cocked his head to the side and wagged his tail playfully. Little Taichi wanted to run after the doggie and asked him to play. Little Taichi wanted to pull on that long tail. Little Taichi wanted to pet the dog's coarse mangled fur and untie all the knots. And so he did. He didn't think the doggie like it—or liked him—too much.

He hardly remembered the bite—or rather, bites plural—but he did remember his mother's screaming. "No...TAICHI!" she shouted so loudly that all the neighbors could hear her. The neighbors thought Mrs. Yagami's son must have been attacked by a pervert. After all, there have been recent reports of a man who had taken much interest in very young cute boys. And little five-year-old Taichi did fit the description. He was very cute with his baby chubby cheeks and bushy hair and big brown watery eyes. All the neighbors loved little Taichi. They couldn't let anyone hurt little Taichi. And so all the neighbors came running with guns and pitchforks in their hands. The poor scraggily dog didn't stand chance when the mob found the unconscious five-year-old. The boy was promptly taken to the hospital and rushed to the emergency room; he was in bad shape—bleeding badly in critical condition. And here, the dog had just wanted to find an unbreakable chew-toy. Of course, little Taichi was very breakable.

And whereas Taichi may not have remembered the bites, he did remember the shots—the very painful shots that set his whole body on fire. To this day, he was still deathly afraid of hospitals...and needles. So when Hikari even _suggested_ calling 911, Taichi promptly refused—begging, pleading, and doing anything that would possibly stop her. It must have worked. He must have looked so pitiful, covered up in those white bed sheets, that Hikari actually listened. Because when he woke up, with a constant fever of 109.86°F, he was still in wrapped up in the white bed sheets.

--

Little Taichi was breakable, but Taichi was still very breakable, Hikari knew. And since Taichi didn't feel so hot and didn't want to go to the hospital (not like they had any money to pay the hospital bill, even if she did call the hospital), she had called someone else that she believed who could help.

Yamato was Taichi's friend from school—or so she had thought. She had seen and met him on a couple occasions when he was with Taichi. Although Hikari was unclear on how the blond actually knew Taichi, Yamato had seemed like a caring reliable person. The blond would always greet her politely—something that some of Taichi's soccer buddies have failed to do. And of course, calling Yamato seemed more responsible than calling those soccer buddies that didn't greet her. Hikari needed someone older and wiser—someone who would know how to handle things, because normally, she asked her big brother Taichi for advice. And of course, with Taichi being indisposed and Taichi being the subject that she needed advice on, she needed an outsider's opinion.

Hikari found the number in Taichi's address book. Underneath the number, it read "Yamato" in (what must have been) the blonde's neat print. Of course, Hikari was very surprised—and even frightened— when a woman answered the phone. The young girl didn't know that she had other things that she should be worried about.

--

Ryuu grinned mischievously as he spied into the Yagami house with the pair of binoculars in hand. He could distinctly see a figure covered in sheets. A small petite girl kneeled by the figure's bedside with a phone in her hand.

"How is he?" Ryuu's companion—a lean athletic figure with spiky reddish mahogany hair— asked. He was very tan, sporting a pair of ripped blue jeans and a white tank top. The shirt showed of the figure's bulky muscles, anyone could observe. A long chain dangled along the figure's neck.

"Well, let's just say that he's in no condition to play soccer."

"He's turning, isn't he?" his companion asked again, fiddling with the chain around his neck.

Ryuu nodded. "Yeah...Stop playing with your collar." Ryuu, who wore a similar chain around his neck, grabbed the boy's arm to stop him.

"Ry?" the boy questioned, cocking his head to the side.

"I dunno...but I heard it's painful....of course...I'll never know..." Ryuu continued absently, scratching the back of his head.

The other boy glanced at him incredulously. "Why not?"

"Aw, Dais, you're so cute," Ryuu barked loudly, grabbing the other's cheeks and stretching them. Dais squirmed out of his grip. "Didn't you know? I was born a wolf." Ryuu bared his teeth, offering a predatory grin.

"Ryuu, you're so cool!" Daisuke—commonly known as "Dais"— squealed.

Ryuu grinned. "I'm glad you think so, Daisuke," Ryuu laughed as he ran his fingers through the boy's mahogany hair. Those spikes were surprisingly soft, Ryuu thought as he petted him.

TBC?

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well, what do you know...it's another chapter...in two days. So...backtracking is always fun. I figure that this may clarify a few things without answering any new additional questions. A very roundabout way of writing, I suppose. Of course...I feel bad for leaving poor Taichi in bed...Anyways...aren't you sorta proud of me. Another chapter in two days! -congratulates self- Yeah, I know...I have no life! I do hope you review though!

**Crazy PurpleSage: **I think that's spelled "Boreanaz"... Except he makes me think of his other show_ Bones _now so... "City of Angels" ? Isn't that a movie? I still don't think I've seen it though......Anyways..thank you! Well, here's more...and I do hope this was soon enough. XD Yes, vampire stories are fun to write!

**PrincessJaded: **Thank you! I glad you liked it so far. Well, I do try to hint at things, but keep reading to find out! *nods* Yes, Sora and Yamato are vampires. I promise that answers will come...eventually...although I can't promise you when...

Again, thank you everyone for reading this. And if you liked the story so far (or even if you didn't), I hope to hear from you. Just tell me why you didn't like it if you didn't (that way, hopefully, I can improve my writing--which I do think is horrible...) and hopefully you can also tell me what you liked. :)


	4. Chapter 4

Summary: It was the bite. It just had to be...and three days later, Taichi lay in bed with fever. What does Yamato have to do with this? A modern Romeo and Juliet story with a supernatural twist.

Disclaimer: Do not own _Digimon _or any of its characters.

* * *

**Bite**

By: splintered

---

He wished he saw things through the human's eyes. He wished he saw things unfettered and simple as they once were—when skies were blue and the grass was green and there was no hidden meaning behind that. Yamato wished for a lot of things. He wished for his humanity. He wished for life. Of course, he was never going to get all those things. He was never going to be human ever again. As much as he tried to stay away for humans and blood and protect humanity from himself, he would never be quite human ever again. To Taichi, that was the saddest thing ever. But to Yamato, those were just the facts of life.

Taichi didn't remember when he first _met _Yamato, but the blond stranger had always been around, following him, he supposed. Like an imaginary friend who wasn't quite imaginary. Taichi did remember when he first talked to Yama though, and he supposed that that was sort of like meeting him. He was eight at the time.

"Hey, Mister," the brunette had said, noticing the blond crouching by the wall. His mommy told him not to talk to strangers, but Tai didn't consider this blond a stranger. For one, he had seen this blond before—always hiding in alleyways much like this one, but Tai had seen him nonetheless. He had seen the blond staring at him—albeit predatorily at times, but to Taichi, the blond was like the dog he tried to pet when he was five. Tai knew it was stupid. He knew that the dog could hurt him, but at the same time, Tai still wanted to be the dog's friend.

In a lot of ways, Taichi knew that was how his relationship with Yamato was going to be (although at that point), he didn't know that was the stranger's name. He knew that the blond could very much hurt him. After all, the blond looked very cool and dangerous, with his faded blue denim jacket and ripped charcoal-colored jeans, leaning against the wall. And the blond was technically a stranger. Mommy said to never talk to strangers, the inner voice inside his head reminded him. But if Taichi found out the stranger's name, he wouldn't be technically be a stranger anymore, would he? Taichi liked his logic, although it had gotten him into trouble a couple of times in the past. Still, Taichi hoped it wouldn't get him in trouble this time.

"What's your name?" Taichi asked the tall blond stranger in the dark alleyway. Probably not the best idea he had ever had, but Taichi didn't regret his decision in the least.

The blond, who had been following the brunette for quite some time now, laughed. Never before had he got to know his prey before. But perhaps that's why the blond couldn't find himself to kill the boy. He wasn't so sure what he found captivating about the young cacao-eyed boy, but the vampire answered his question. "Yamato."

"Can I call you Yama?" the boy asked. "My name is Tai." The boy extended his hand like he had seen grown-ups do when they first meet people. A handshake.

The blond—Yama (as the brunette boy with the cacao eyes and bushy hair had call him)—hesitated. It would have been so easy—so easy to kill him. They were in a dark alleyway. There was no one around. But still, Yamato found that he couldn't. Somehow, he couldn't hurt the innocent boy. Instead, he crouched down to the boy's level and took his hand. "Sure," Yamato replied smoothly. "Nice to meet you, Tai."

The boy grinned, a wide cheesy smile. He was missing a few of his baby teeth, but the smile was beautiful nonetheless. The way that his cheeks flushed and his eyes lit up— Boy, was Yamato hungry.

"Your hand is so cold, Yama," said the brunette. "Do you want my gloves? They're my Daddy's so they're too big on me, but it might fit you." The boy fumbled inside his jacket pocket as the blond watched him wordlessly. "Here."

"I….I'm fine," the blond finally replied, staring at the woven clothing. How was he to explain this to a child? "I'm always cold."

"Always?" the brunette asked, as if that was the saddest thing ever. His head and bushy chestnut-colored hair seemed to droop a little as those big doleful eyes stared at him. "I know, let's go get hot chocolate! That always warms me up." The boy beamed again, eager at the prospect of helping the blond.

"No, you don't understand, Tai," the blond tried again. "I'm not…" _It couldn't hurt telling the boy his secret, could it? _"I'm not human."

The boy tilted his head to the side, his bushy brown hair flopping in his face as he did so. It was as if the boy was mulling over something. A cute pout graced his lips before his eyes brightened again. "I know, you must be an angel, right? You're my guardian angel! That's why you're always following me," the boy continued to babble as Yamato curiously watched him.

_Wrong, Tai, _the blond vampire thought. He was far from being an angel, much less the boy's guardian angel. Still, as he felt the tiny body wrap around his freezing frame and embrace him, he realized one thing. _I can't hurt him, _the blond realized with despair. Even as he smelled the sweet flowery fragrance of pure blood, he realized that he couldn't hurt such an innocent, trusting creature. That was the thing he had come to learn about Taichi: _you couldn't help but love him._ And he was such a shame because he was so hungry too.

In some ways, Yamato sort of became Taichi's guardian angel after that day. "I will see you again, right?" the brown-eyed boy had asked him.

Yamato had found himself nodding. "Yeah," he whispered.

Years later, Yamato still looked out for the boy, so when Sora said eventually handed him his phone and he saw the call number that the red-head intercepted, Yamato was more than alarmed. Taichi knew when he worked and the lovable brunette never called at those hours. The fact that he called must have meant that something was wrong.

Leaving the bar after his shift ended and getting into his silver Cadillac, the blond vampire's nimble fingers quickly redialed Tai's number.

"Hello?" a girl's timid voice answered.

"Hello," the blond replied, hesitating for a second. "Is this Hikari?" he asked. He knew that Tai had a younger sister, but he had never met her before.

"Yes," the girl replied. "Who is this?" Her voice was suddenly sharp—suspicious.

"Hi Kari, this is Yamato. Is Tai around? I believe he called earlier."

"Hi Yamato," the girl sighed, sounding relieved. "Tai didn't call earlier. I did."

--

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Author's Notes: I apologize for not uploading sooner, but I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter, wanting to read more. I would really appreciate a review. And I hope you all have a Happy New Year! =)


	5. Chapter 5

Summary: It was the bite. It just had to be...and three days later, Taichi lay in bed with fever. What does Yamato have to do with this? A modern Romeo and Juliet story with a supernatural twist.

Disclaimer: Do not own _Digimon _or any of its characters.

* * *

**Bite**

By: splintered

--

Ryuu was a pushover. Daisuke learned this first-hand. Daisuke was the reason the two of them were building a pack. Daisuke had wanted more friends—a family—and Ryuu caved. Frankly, you could say that Daisuke was the reason for Taichi's pain as well. You see, Taichi was basically the nicest person ever and Daisuke wanted the older soccer player on his team.

They had met over soccer. This was before Daisuke hit puberty (or maybe it was around the time he hit puberty) and grew extremely hairy every month under the full moon. But anyways, Daisuke saw a bunch of older boys playing soccer in the park and well, they wouldn't let him play with them. But Taichi was nicer than all the other older boys.

"C'mon guys," Taichi-sempai had said. "Let him play. It couldn't hurt."

And as if those words were magic, the boys reluctantly gave in to Taichi-sempai's words. "Alright Yagami," one of them said. "But you're taking him on your team."

"Sounds good to me," Taichi smiled. "Alright, kid. What's your name?"

"Daisuke. My name is Daisuke."

And well, that's how they met. It was one of Daisuke's fondest memories. And the more he got to see Taichi-sempai, who eventually the starring center of the high school soccer team as Daisuke watched him from the stands, the more beautiful that Daisuke saw him.

Daisuke realized that he always wanted Taichi-sempai to play on his team. It was selfish, really, the reason he bit Taichi-sempai.

"It's fine," Taichi-sempai had said, grimacing from the pain, but shrugging off the accident nonetheless. Taichi-sempai was giving him some pointers on the soccer field in the middle of the night. Sure, everyone else had left and like always Taichi was the first and last one on the practice field, but as Taichi always said, he would have it no other way. Taichi was always willing to help a teammate and friend and since Daisuke recently made it onto the school's soccer team, the mahogany-haired boy was both. Of course, Daisuke forgot that today was the first of the full moon and when moonlight hit his body on the deserted soccer field, he turned, biting Taichi-sempai in the shoulder.

But whether the bite itself was accidental or not, it didn't change the fact that his hero was bleeding badly—reminding Daisuke how human and vulnerable the older boy really was. But still…

"It's not a big deal, Daisuke. I mean, it's just a bite. You couldn't help it. Don't worry about it."

Still, Taichi-sempai was being admirable. Even with his shoulder gushing blood, Taichi-sempai was trying to make him feel better. But that was just the kind of person that Taichi-sempai was. That's why Daisuke loved Taichi-sempai. That's why Daisuke always wanted Taichi-sempai to play on his team.

After that incident, Daisuke helped Taichi dress his wound, feeling somewhat guilty when noticing how deep the cut actually was. "Thanks Dai," Taichi had said, giving him a pained smile. Daisuke had offered to walk him home, but Taichi had refused.

"I'll be alright," Taichi had said. "I mean, it's just a bite."

Of course, Daisuke had known—with both dread and excitement—that that bite was laced with enough werewolf venom to either kill him or turn him. And Daisuke hoped with all his might that Taichi would turn.

Daisuke sighed, glancing at Ryuu, his partner in crime, holding the binoculars as both of them held a stakeout outside the Yagami house. Ryuu was the first one he told after the incident. The only one except Daisuke and Taichi who knew what happened that night at the soccer field. Ryuu was Daisuke's best friend. But Ryuu was also a pushover. All the mahogany-haired werewolf had to do was fan-boy all over him and Ryuu usually caved. Usually. There was also the occasion that he didn't. Like now.

"No, Daisuke, you can't go knock on the Yagamis' door and introduce yourself to the girl."

"But Ry-uuuuu!"

"I said 'no,' Dais. Didn't you hear me the first time? It's dangerous. Wait until after he turns. Then you can take him and the girl captive and do whatever you want with them."

"Really?" Daisuke's ears perked up with those words. "I love you, Ry-uuuu!" He glomped him.

"Dais…"

"Yeah."

"Get off me."

--

Meanwhile, while Ryuu knew all about the bite, Kari knew nothing of it. She did notice that her brother returned later than usually that day and looked a little under the weather. She did notice that her brother had refused dinner claiming he wasn't hungry. She had thought nothing of it, figuring he must have grabbed a meal on his way home.

She had noticed her brother slump on the couch, falling asleep with the television on. She remembered smiling, watching him. He always worked so hard, she thought, knowing what he did for the soccer team and figuring he must have volunteered to stay later to coach someone.

No, she thought nothing of the events that happened three days ago. She didn't even know her brother was sick until he first collapsed on the kitchen floor earlier that morning. She remembered being deathly terrified as she felt his forehead and realized he had a dangerously high fever. She remembered dragging him to bed and burying him in blankets, supplying him with plenty of water.

But no matter what she did, his temperature wasn't subsiding and her brother looked worse than ever. And poor Hikari, she was terrified, her heart racked with guilt, hating herself for not noticing the symptoms earlier and mulling over what else she could do for him.

After all, he flatly refused to go to the hospital she didn't know anyone who would be able to help them. Calling Yamato was a fluke—a name out of an address book, a face she vaguely remembered. It was the best decision at the time. Of course, she didn't know what she started at the time.

--

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm back! You didn't expect to see me so soon, right? Well, once again, thank you so much for reading. After I presented Yamato's point of view on things, I thought it might be nice to present Daisuke's. Hopefully things are starting to make more sense (although nothing exciting seems to be happening quite yet). Once again, thank you for reading and I would love a review! =)

And lastly, I realized I never got back to my lovely reviewers from Chapter 3! How very rude of me!

_Comments for Chapter 3:_

**_You can run but you can't hide:_** I updated! Finally, right? *smiles proudly* I hope you like it.

**_Shinikan:_** Thanks. I hope so. o.O Anyways, I updated. It's been a while, right? *looks around sheepishly*

**_Crazy PurpleSage:_** Well, here's more, which hopefully answers some more of your questions. I think the last chapter explained Yama's relationship to Taichi and this one explains about who bit Taichi. :p Hopefully, this gives you enough meat to chew on to keep reading. And yes, Bones is definitely a good show too! :)

**_PrincessJaded:_** Yeah...so sorry about the whole not updating for a while thing, but I updated this chapter really soon after the last one, right? Anyways, yes, Dai is a werewolf and he bit Taichi, although you'll still have to keep reading to find out about how Mimi is involved in all this! :)

**T****he Solar Being:** Yes, vamps and werewolves! Hopefully you still love these kinds of stories enough to keep reading this, or at least to find out if Tai turns into a vampire or a werewolf. ^_^ Sorry for not updating for a while, but hopefully this update was soon enough.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: I realize I have been gone a while, but thank you all for your time and patience. For all who have enjoyed the story thus far, I hope it will continue to be satisfactory. Thanks again for reading — and of course, I don't know what you think unless you comment.

Summary: It was the bite. It just had to be...and three days later, Taichi lay in bed with fever. What does Yamato have to do with this? A modern Romeo and Juliet story with a supernatural twist.

Disclaimer: Do not own _Digimon _or any of its characters.

* * *

**Bite**

By: splintered

**Chap. 6**

Despite Hikari Yagami's invitation, Yamato knew he wasn't welcome. It was like sneaking into a rival's private masquerade when not on the guest list. Not only was it a foolish thing to do, but it was also very dangerous. And danger was everywhere.

He knew something wasn't right even before he pulled into the Yagami driveway. It was like pulling into enemy territory and of course, the blond knew that stench from anywhere. To him, it was like running into a skunk. Only, it was the smell of mutts — fowl, dirty and mangy mutts. He knew they were nearby, probably hiding in the bushes or something. Judging by the stench (and perhaps previous prejudices — after all, vampires and werewolves were notorious for hating each other), the beasts probably had something to do with Tai's sister's distressed phone call.

Yet against his better judgment, he was like a lovesick Montague fool-heartedly pining after a lovely Capulet. And if he was Romeo, there was nothing he wouldn't do to save his Juliet. Against his better judgment — and as long as Tai-chan wanted him — he would keep his promise. Yamato just prayed he wasn't too late —

* * *

Tai-chan was there — although the boy was far from alright in Yamato's standards. The boy was shivering beneath the cocoon of blankets his sister had supplied, his forehead dripping from beads of sweat. The boy looked so small and fragile, unconscious under his haven of cloth, Yamato thought, as his concerned blue eyes accessed the situation. It pained the vampire to not see the boy's beautiful breath-taking smile, his face full of life.

"You said he's been like that all morning?" Yamato asked the girl as he felt her shift besides him.

"Yes," the girl nodded.

"Do you mind if you give me a moment alone with him?"

"Not at all." The girl quietly left, closing the bedroom door behind her.

"Thanks," he whispered, his eyes never leaving Tai's face. "Oh Tai-chan," the blond whispered. "What have they done with you?"

* * *

He had been slipping in and out of consciousness, judging by the way black spots fogged his vision. And to say he felt like crap was the understatement of the century. But regardless, the long pale fingers threading through his hair and the kind, loving smile from the face above him made him feel so incredibly warm…

"You're here," he managed to mumble, forcing his parched lips to string a few words together — one of his more lucid comments judging by the way those hands paused momentarily.

"You don't sound so surprised," the musical voice above him said affectionately before growing strangely somber. "Although you have to talk better care of yourself, Tai."

"So Kari told you…"

The blond nodded, continuing to comb his fingers through his hair. "I know I promised to be your guardian angel, Tai-chan, but…" Yamato paused when he realized the boy was asleep. _You know I'm anything but an angel…_

The funny thing was, despite the boy's fever-ridden unconscious state, Yamato could still hear the boy's denials.

* * *

"**What's in a name? That which we call a rose  
By any other name would smell as sweet."**

- William Shakespeare, _Romeo & Juliet_

* * *

Yamato had been criticized for being cold and heartless many times in his lifetimes. He knew what others said — that he closed his heart to the world after his brother Takeru died. (Perhaps that's what attracted the blond vampire to little Taichi in the first place? The boy's innocence reminded him of his brother…)

But still, that didn't stop others from pulling out his character flaw, like Mimi had graciously done when he visited the pink-haired vampire's house. (Hmm, probably the same time he forgot his cell phone at her house, he later mused.)

"You know what the problem with you is, Yamato?" Mimi asked, twirling a strand of her long bubble-gum pink colored hair around her index figure.

The blond gave a noncommittal grunt, keeping his pale blue eyes fixated on the peach-colored walls behind her. Mimi was sure fond of pastel colors.

"The problem is that you don't like anyone," the girl continued as if the two were actually having a conversation. "Frankly, I'm convinced that you're asexual. Yamato Ishida, the great asexual vampire. It's kinda catchy don't you think…."

"Right… and vamps are supposed to have feelings, Meems? That's a new one."

"But even ghosts have feelings, right? That's why they haunt the ends of the earth… 'cuz they can't let go."

Yamato sure couldn't let go of something all right, but he could sure do without Mimi when she got into one of her philosophical moods. After all, being cold to his fellow vampires wasn't necessarily bad. It just meant that others kept their distance, therefore less people got hurt in the long run. Besides, all vampires were cold to some extent — not at all like those disgusting furry mutts or whatever they were that acted like lunatics every full moon.

But now that Takeru was gone, Tai was probably the only human alive that truly knew that there was a big softie under that cold exterior. Therefore, if that boy died, any human feelings left inside the notoriously cold and heartless vampire would probably die with him.

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**_Review? _**


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Notes: Thank you KoumiLoccness, Annikyuu and krad for reviewing the last chapter and thank you everyone for reading!

Summary: It was the bite. It just had to be...and three days later, Taichi lay in bed with fever. What does Yamato have to do with this? A modern Romeo and Juliet story with a supernatural twist.

Disclaimer: Do not own _Digimon _or any of its characters.

* * *

**Bite**

By: splintered

**Chap. 7**

"You were right, Dais," Ryuu smirked at the pup that lay curled up at his feet. "This one is interesting," he continued to comment to himself.

His restless companion had long fallen asleep during their stakeout after Ryuu refused to let him raid the Yagami house — or adopt that girl as his plaything.

"Who knew that this one is friends with one of the most unfriendly creatures of the world," the werewolf thought. Of course, that just made the merchandise all the more valuable. Ryuu's diplomatic grandfather had always wanted to make a treaty with those cold-blooded bastards. Old Grandpappy thought that would solve the century long feuds, but his sons wouldn't go for Grandpappy's plans. So of course, when Ryuu's Daddy inherited the Lycan throne as the new alpha male and Grandpappy's successor, Grandpappy's compromise went out the window. But perhaps… Nah, Ryuu thought. No one could be friends with vampires. How was such a thing possible without ending up undead? At least a werewolf's transformation didn't take away all of a person's humanity — and people only had to put up with prissy hormonal wolves once every full moon, not at all like those cold vampire bastards who Ryuu imagined were arrogant and high-strung all the time. Of course Ryuu never personally knew a vampire, but boy, Daddy sure told grotesque stories that made your blood boil. Sora — who Daddy swears makes her victims call her the 'Queen of Love' — never lets her victims stay alive. She prefers to drain them all of blood after leaving a hickey. Gross, right? Even teenaged hormonal wolves like Ryuu had standards!

So Ryuu and his teenaged wolves were going to run rampant and never one of those vile creatures come between them. The Queen of Love could have her legion of brain dead zombies, but Ryuu preferred his lovers to be just as horny and rambunctious as he was. Which was why he and Daisuke made such a great pair.

Daisuke was the first wolf Ryuu adopted in his personal pack, and Ryuu was so glad that his friend was finally taking initiative in choosing the bitches. And if Daisuke preferred male bitches, so be it. Ryuu didn't discriminate… well, except on vampires, but vampires were an entirely different story. Perhaps Dai and his new mate would even consent to a threesome sometime. Now that would be interesting. Even more interesting than this new bitch apparently attracting vampire company. Ryuu emitted a low snarl as he watched the blond vampire pull up into the driveway.

"What's going on?" Daisuke mumbled sleepily, woken up by his friend's presence.

"Your friend has bad taste in friends," Ryuu replied, eying the blond who was talking to the girl on the doorstep. Surprisingly the girl let the bastard in. Didn't she know what the blond was?

"Are you saying I'm bad taste?" Daisuke said, instantly offended.

"Of course not," Ryuu cooed. "How can you be taste bad? You're just so cute!"

"Then…oh." Daisuke sniffed the air and caught a whiff of something dark, metallic and definitely undead. "Who invited the vamp to our stakeout?"

"I sure didn't. But we can't let him humiliate us. We won't take their garbage."

"No, because then we'd be garbage men," Daisuke joked before ending on a more serious note. "It would be trashy if we let them have our pup though."

"Well, then we'll fight."

"Um, maybe we should focus on not getting in trouble. Won't your dad get mad if we start another fight?"

"I hit hard when I'm mad."

"But it's hard to make you mad."

"Those vampires make me mad."

"But you know what they say. 'To move is to stir, and to be valiant is to stand. Therefore if thou art moved thou runn'st away.'

"Oh Dais, when did you become such a Shakespearean nutcase?" Ryuu wrestled playfully, running his paw through his companion's mane.

"But it's true! When you're mad, you run!"

"And when you're mad, you kick soccer balls at me. I hate to break it to you, Dais, but I don't make a good goalie."

"No you don't," Daisuke agreed.

"But come on, Dais, aren't you mad? Even a little? That blond vampire bloke has been in there an awfully long time."

"I must be mad."

"And I'm perfectly sane. But come on, Dais, don't you think we should show him who takes out the trash?"

"Okay, Ryuu, let's be garbage men then," the mahogany-haired vampire agreed.

* * *

Hikari Yagami was always taught not to treat anybody like trash. Not only was it not a nice thing to do, but it could also hurt someone else's feelings. Her brother had taught her that. Her big, stupid selfless brother who had gotten himself sick. Didn't he know that he made her worry? Of course he did. That's why he probably kept how he was feeling from her until he couldn't hide it anymore. But still…

Hikari wished she could be angry at Tai. And part of her was angry — angry enough to throw him out. But it wasn't totally her brother's fault that he got sick (although it was his fault that he stayed out so late in the cold coaching some soccer punks). She wished she could blame him, but she couldn't. Not really. But when those two punks from the soccer team came barging in the front door claiming they were going to kill the blond she invited to help Taichi out, Hikari broke her brother's rules and treated them like trash.

"Who do you think you are?" she demanded, pursing her lips. She had to grit her teeth to keep from shouting at them and waking Taichi. Yamato had said her brother had fallen asleep again and that the blond would watch over Tai.

"Garbage men," the one with wild mahogany-colored hair guffawed.

Hikari didn't quite understand what was so funny. After all, she was in a foul enough mood even before the boys broke down her front door. So it wasn't her fault when she grabbed the nearest object (which happened to be a frying pan sitting on the stove) and threw it at the rude one making cracks about garbage.

"Get out of my kitchen!"

"You know what they say, Dais," the other one started, apparently amused at how well a frying pan to the face could shut someone up. "'To move is to stir, and to be valiant is to stand. Therefore if thou art moved thou runn'st away.' I suggest we run."

"But Ryuuuu! Didn't you see that? She hit me! And where's all your bravado from before? I thought you hated vamps?"

"Did she hit hard?"

Daisuke nodded.

"Then she's probably mad. Even staking a vampire on our stakeout isn't worth getting killed by a frying pan over."

"But Ryuuuuuu!"

"Come on, Dais. Let's leave. We've overstayed our welcome. Besides, it's not like that vamp can save his friend from becoming a big bad wolf," Ryuu said, starting to leave from the same front door he helped knock down. "You've already bitten him, right?"

"Right," Daisuke replied, "but it wouldn't be a crime to kill the vamp."

"True, but no good will come from being a vamp. Come Dais. Dad will be mad at us for starting another fight."

Although Daisuke bounded after his friend out the door, the younger werewolf couldn't help but think that he made the same argument earlier. What made Ryuu change his mind about riling up the vampire and kidnapping their pup? Daisuke could only think that something devious was behind Ryuu's sudden change in attitude.

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